A Final Deep Rest

Half Moon Newsletter

Half Moon? What!? Why?
So many others do bimonthly newsletters on the Full and New Moon. They always get the attention. They always get the fandom. They always get the importance. The Half Moon, also called quarter moon, but when you look at it with your actual eyeballs it isn’t quarter, its half! (it’s a celestial pet peeve of mine) Half Dark. Half Light. And each switching sides every time. One time growing in light, the other time growing in dark. It isn’t the pause between the inhale and the exhale, it *is* the inhale and the exhale. It is the middle road.

Even as winter fades away and the days bring more rain than snow, the nights remain cold bringing with it the Ice Season

As the snowpack melts in the warmth of the sun and freezes again at night, and as I get to walking around the land more as outdoor tasks ever so slowly begin to increase (along with my desire to get outside into that finally warm sunshine) the ice begins to build and you can start to feel a little like this usually fluffy, round Lodgepole Pine; worn down and weighted by the lingering effects of winter and the burgeoning hope of spring

But all this temperature wavering across the ice/water boundary also means the sap begins to rise. Pretty soon these Cottonwood buds will be dripping with it's deliciously resinous and aromatic sap. Something that is a nuisance to some but medicinal to all. And those plump buds are what unfurl into the leaves that allow the trees to harness all that solar power from the summer sun.

And just as the trees use this time of transition to prepare for the growing season, so do I!

This is when I begin to clear out the washing and packing area where all the veggies and flowers are trimmed, bunched, bagged, wrapped, and made ready for market. This is when I take stock of all the supplies and packaging needed for the season and order anything I'm out of. This is when I finish cleaning and packing all the farm-saved seeds so they'll be ready for all you gardeners out there.

This is when I go out and begin preparing the greenhouse for the tsunami of seed starts that will soon be moving through, with a little bit of help from a mostly ineffective work crew

And it's when I have some of the last opportunities for deep rest before the work of seeding, watering, and tending those same seed starts from spring until autumn. It's the same cycles that the trees and other perennial plants have learned and it's one that humans have mostly forgotten, but are maybe returning to: the cycle of rest and growth.

It does not serve any system to grow constantly, even in climates that lack snow, there is still rest in another form or another time. For if we don't take the time to rest, to recover, to build foundations, to set down roots, we tend to topple over. So even if that warm spring sun is telling you to jump into action, rest a last moment instead. Pause and let winter finish in it's own time and enjoy the warmth of the sun before you use it to grow.

Future Learning Opportunities
Are you ready to step into the wilderness?
Saturday, March 4th: Free the Seeds in Kalispell
I'll be giving a presentation on Edible Garden Weeds: The Accidental Harvest.
Stop by for all the free presentations, info booths, and, of course, free seeds!

Tuesdays in May: Troy Adult Education Program
I'll be teaching a Spring Wildflower & Native Plant ID class on Tuesday evenings in May and early June. Two indoor classes to cover the basics and two outings to meet all the wonderful spring plants around Troy. Sign-ups to be announced later.

Seasonal On-Farm Foraging Classes: Dragon's Breath Farm
Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. I'll be updating the schedule as we get closer to spring.

What's available this week?

• Veggies!
  • microgreens for all tastes!
• Seeds!
  • so many varieties to get your garden growing
• Herbals
  • Infused Body Oils
  • Essences
  • Dragon's Scale Salve
• Flowers
  • Dried Bouquets
  • Petal Sachets
• Jewelry
  • Bead Woven Bracelets & Rings
• Recycled Paper

Where to find it all?

The Mini Microgreen Market of course, running all winter!
Thursdays from 12-1pm at the Libby Chamber of Commerce
*come inside where it's warm & toasty while the micros are chill in their mini cooler*